Quick and Easy Dinner Idea: Delicious Chicken Paillard

Are you looking for a healthy, quick and easy dinner idea? I have a great solution for you–this moist and tasty chicken paillard, which goes together in a snap. It’s the perfect dinner for busy weeknights!

First of all, what on earth is a paillard? Even though it sounds fancy, it simply refers to a piece of meat pounded thin and cooked quickly. And it’s one of the easiest and most versatile ways of preparing meat I’ve found. By pounding the meat into a thinner version, it cooks quickly and evenly, making it less likely that you’ll dry out the meat in an attempt to cook it through.

Another plus is that you can feed more people with less meat. Even though this recipe calls for 2 chicken breasts, by the time you pound them out, they’re big enough that you could cut them in half and feed 3 or 4 people with them.

1. Open a large gallon-size Zip-Loc bag and add the lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper and lemon zest (if using). Massage the bag a bit to mix all of the ingredients together.

2. Add the chicken breasts to the bag and seal it. (Note–if you’re doubling the recipe, do this step in two batches.) Using a meat mallet/tenderizer or the back of a heavy pan, flatten the chicken breasts to about 1/2 inch thick.

3. Place a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter. Add the chicken to the pan and fry for 10 minutes, or until cooked through, turning occasionally–it might take a little longer depending on their thickness. If you’re preparing more than 2 chicken breasts, you may need to cook the chicken in batches or use two frying pans here.

4. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it to serving plates and, if desired, drizzle with pan drippings. Enjoy!

xo jane

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